Lesson From A Cowgirl

November 11th, 2010

I have always been fascinated and inspired by cowgirls. Specifically the cowgirls of the Old West. They displayed such courage and self-motivation. Marie Lords in 1861 said “A cowgirl gets up early in the morning, decides what she wants to do, and does it.”

Self-motivation is a component of emotional intelligence. Self-motivation influences the action one takes to begin or complete an activity without relying on outside influence or encouragement. Each of us has varying degrees of self-motivation for different activities. In my quest for the perfect piece of pie, my self-motivation for seeking out new pie experiences is quite high. Whereas, my self-motivation for categorizing and entering travel business receipts from speaking trips is extraordinarily low.

Self-motivation is a fluid concept, meaning it’s malleable and can be changed. Look at your life: work, home, health, and spirituality. What is your self-motivation for each area? Is it where you want it to be?

If not, change it. Changing self-motivation is a 3-step process.

Identify the area where you are not motivated. For example, not cultivating relationships with colleagues.

Change the way you think about that area. For example, when you think about doing something with a colleague, previously you would think “why would he want to go to lunch with me?” Change the self-talk to “he would enjoy having lunch with me and it would be valuable to both of our careers to be aware of what the other is doing.”

Change the behavior you take in that area. For example, schedule a lunch with the colleague this week. Self-motivation comes FROM action. Not the other way around.

You can’t wait until you feel motivated to do something. The self-motivation may never come on its own. You need to take the action first. Eventually you will create momentum and you will experience self-motivation. From Cowgirl Minnie Cody in 1901 “A gal’s gotta do what a gal’s gotta do.”

To Think About:

Take 1 action today in the direction you want to go and notice how your self-motivation is increased.